The beautiful Mather Homestead property provides the perfect backdrop for creative inspiration. Whether you are a photographer, painter, sculptor etc., we invite you to create on property. All previous art events can be found here. Past Art-at-Mather ArtScapes Lecture - Jan. 18, 2023 Robin Hoffman presented a lecture: American Vistas - from the Hudson River School to the National Parks Photos Darien Alumni Art Show 2021 The Mather Homestead was proud to host the first Darien Alumni Art Show showcasing the works of local young artists. Photos Darien Alumni Art Show 2022 We celebrated local artists by hosting the second annual Darien Alumni Art Show! Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 10, 2021 Year two of Plein air art classes with Lisa Thoren: Learn the art of landscape painting! A special lesson on how to sketch plein air with Lisa Thoren. Creating outdoors, we will discover techniques to learn perspective, composition and values. Includes wine to help your creative inspiration :-). Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - June 28, 2021 Back by popular demand .. our second June 2021 painting class! Photos How to Paint Plein Air with Lisa Thoren - September 24, 2020 Our first Plein air art class with Lisa Thoren: Learn the art of landscape painting! A special lesson on how to sketch plein air with Lisa Thoren. Creating outdoors, we will discover techniques to learn perspective, composition and values. Includes wine to help your creative inspiration :-). Photos Paint & Sip - Feb. 21, 2023 Budding artists chose scenes from the Mather Homestead to see and draw, then painted in the barn. Photos Paint & Sip with Lisa Thoren - February 3, 2022 Our resident art teacher, Lisa Thoren, guided us through the process of creating a painting from scratch -- see, sketch, paint. Photos Paint & Sip! Winter paint & sip led by our expert Lisa Thoren! Photos Plein Air Weeks 2020 Artists drew, painted and photographed on the Mather Homestead grounds during our first "Plein air" week. Photos Plein Air Weeks 2021 Artists drew, painted and photographed on the Mather Homestead grounds during our first "Plein air" week. Photos Plein Air Weeks 2022 Artists drew, painted and photographed during Plein Air Weeks 2022 -- images to follow! Photos Plein Air class Spring 2022! Back by popular demand ... more plein air painting with Lisa Thoren! Photos

Back in the 18th century, some things were the same (three meals a day, sleeping and playing), but some things were VERY different! The family operated a farm and everyone had to help. They got up really early in the morning to do chores - like milking the cows and collecting the eggs. If kids were lucky, they went to school. They had toys, but definitely no video games - have you seen jumping jacks? the ball and cup? and marbles? Let's learn about the MATher Homestead! Why is this house so special? The Mather Homestead is a REALLY old home right here in Darien, Connecticut, where it borders New Canaan and Norwalk. It was built in 1778, back in the 18th century - that's OVER 200 YEARS AGO! The Mather Homestead today! The Mather Homestead 200 years ago... Spooky! The Mather Homestead today! 1/2 Click the arrows to go back in time! The house has lots of cool stuff inside that people used back then. Can you believe THIS is a toaster??? = Where we are on a map: The green line on the map is Stephen Mather Road, named after our main man himself! Norwalk Darien New Canaan Who is this Stephen Mather guy?? Stephen Tyng Mather was the grandson of Deacon Joseph Mather (who built the house.) He is very important in our country’s history because he created the N ational Parks System we have toda y. A National Park is land that is protected by our government so that is can be preserved and well maintained. You may have visited a national park before! Have you bee n to the Grand Canyon? That's a famous one! There are now 63 national parks but when Stephen Mather became head of the national parks th ere was just 14 . By the time he retired as Director of the National Park Service he had doubled the number! Because he did so much to conserve park s in our co untry, you'll see a plaque like this one in most national parks. The Mather Homestead is so important because Stephen Mather lived in many plac es around the country but always considered this house his true hom e ! Stephen Mather and his wife Jane enjoying time out in front of The Homestead! The Revolutionary war The house was built in the beginning of that Revolutionary War, when the American colonies were fighting to be independent from Britain. The Loyalists were the people who agreed with England, that the American Colonies should stay part of England. But the Patriots believed that America should become its own independent country. Watch this video from Schoolhouse Rock! Would you be a loyalist or a patriot? In the area of the Mather Homestead, more people were Patriots. But across the Long Island Sound in Long Island, more people were Loyalists. So the Loyalists would row across the sound and raid houses along the shore. The Mather Raid! The Loyalists came to the Mather Homestead looking for valuables. But the valuables had been hidden!!! Where would you have hidden valuables? Under the bed? In the ground? The Mather family hid silver and other valuables like clothes in the water well (they were found!) and one other place somewhere in this dining room where they were not found! Check out the dining room and take a guess where the valuables were hidden. Answer below. And can you believe that before the soldiers left, they made Mrs. Mather cook them dinner!! But, good news, they didn't hurt anyone. The Secret Hiding Place ... what did kids do back then? Back in the 1700s, when the homestead was built, the family operated a farm and everyone had to help. They got up really early in the morning to do chores - like milking the cows and collecting the eggs. If kids w ere lucky, they went to school. They had toys, but definitely no video games! have you seen jumping jacks? the ball and cup? and marbles? Click here to see lots of games that you can try! This game is called "rolling the hoop." It's a race to see who can get their hoop to the finish line first. The Secret Hiding Place ... The silver was hidden in the tall pie ce of wooden furniture which has been in the home since it was built. It is called a "high boy." The silver was hidden with leather straps that attached it to the inside top of the cabinet. You can still see the straps today! Boys and girls were treated really differently. Girls learned to do things like sewing, cooking and serving -- even making candles and soap! And boys were usually learning a "trade," which means a job. And their parents were very strict. You'd better pay attention to the rules or else! They did have treats, but no potato chips or pizza. Some of the treats were candied orange peel and marzipan. Believe it or not they were yummy! Mather Homestead ACTIVITY BOOK and ANSWER

The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 and has been impeccably preserved over two and a half centuries. < Back The Mather Homestead The Mather Homestead was built in 1778 and has been impeccably preserved over two and a half centuries. Previous Next

Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK < Back Kenai Fjords Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 1980 Established: Size: 669,984 acres Visitors: 321,596 in 2018 Summary Wildlife Sounds of the Park Things to Do When to Visit Ties to Stephen Mather Fun Fact Previous Next

South-Central Pennsylvania, 1775-1800. Mahogany, unidentified secondary woods; 38" h. x 20 ⅜" w. x 20" d. < Back Side Chair Second Floor - SE Bedroom Furniture and Hard Furnishings South-Central Pennsylvania, 1775-1800. Mahogany, unidentified secondary woods; 38" h. x 20 ⅜" w. x 20" d. With a pierced and relief-carved splat and crest rail with an oculus at the top and looped strands near the bottom. Splat design is English in origin but copies may be found in examples on chairs labeled by Philadelphia maker, Benjamin Randolph. Unlike many Philadelphia chairs, side rails are not tenoned through the rear stiles. Corner blocks within the seat frame are vertically grained. Straight Marlborough front legs, H-stretchers. (Twentieth century needlework upholstery was not removed to examine the separate slip seat.) “II” is chiseled into the inside of rear rail. Minor repairs to the splat. Previous Next

When you become a member of the Mather Homestead you support our mission and help to secure our future. Benefits include: Discounted/free tickets to events, Reduced rate for usage of the Homestead for private events, Free private tours. PLANNED GIVING The Mather Homestead: ~250 years of history Help us preserve the Homestead for another 250 years! There are many ways to make a planned gift to the Mather Homestead Foundation nd your financial and/or legal advisor can help you evaluate which option is right for you. 1) Make a Bequest Leave a gift of cash, securities or other assets, such as real property, by making a bequest in your will or trust. This allows you to make a generous gift that will not compromise your lifestyle. Name The Mather Homestead Foundation as a Beneficiary 2) One of the easiest ways to make a planned gift is to name the Mather Homestead Foundation as a beneficiary of your life insurance, IRA, or other retirement plan. You can allocate a specific percentage or a set amount to Horizons at NCCS. 3) Establish a Charitable Lead or Charitable Remainder Trust Create a charitable trust, naming Horizons at NCCS as a beneficiary during your life (Lead) or in the future (Remainder). Charitable trusts can provide tax advantages for capital gains, gift and estate taxes. Please contact Heather Raker at 203-202-7602 heatherraker@matherhomestead.org to discuss! The earliest photo of the homestead, circa 1800s

Edward Walker (1803-1879); Sophia Ann Shedel Walker (1802-1871). Parents of Bertha Jemima Walker Mather. Oil on canvas; 26 ½” h. x 21 ½” w. (sight size). Circa 1840-1845. < Back American School, Pair of Portraits, Edward Walker & Sophia Walker First Floor - Dining Room Fine Art Edward Walker (1803-1879); Sophia Ann Shedel Walker (1802-1871). Parents of Bertha Jemima Walker Mather. Oil on canvas; 26 ½” h. x 21 ½” w. (sight size). Circa 1840-1845. Finely executed half length portraits of a rosy-cheeked gentleman in black waistcoat and cravat; and of his wife, modestly attired in a black and brown gown with pink and white lace at the neck and kerchief. She wears a gold necklace, garnet brooch, and pink shell buttons on her bodice. Neither is signed. In matching gold-painted period-style frames. Condition is good. Previous Next

Family holiday concert featuring Dan Zlotnick: songs, sing-a-long and santa! < Back Dan Zlotnick - December 3, 2023 Family holiday concert featuring Dan Zlotnick: songs, sing-a-long and santa! Previous Next

< Back Book Club: The Scarlet Letter Weds., March 2, 7 pm A secret affair, a public shaming, and a feminist awakening … written in 1850 and set in colonial America, the scarlet letter is STILL a story in which we can recognize ourselves. Even if you have not recently read the book, Samantha Gault will provide excerpts from the book and lead us through an interesting discussion of this controversial story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through and affair and will not reveal her lover's identity. Come join the conversation which will be led by our resident American literature guru Samantha Gault! Please buy local! Books available at Barrett Bookstore. Previous Next

American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic < Back Victoria Johnson - June 2, 2021 American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic Previous Next

Brass; 19 ½” h. x 28” w.; late 19th century. < Back Georgian Style Six-Arm Chandelier First Floor - Dining Room Other Decorative Arts Brass; 19 ½” h. x 28” w.; late 19th century. Scrolled S-curve arms with flared cups. Previous Next

New England, 1725-1750 Cherry, maple, oak, white pine, poplar top; 38" h. x 38 ½" w. x 20 ⅛" d. < Back Chest of Four Drawers Second Floor - SW Bedroom Furniture and Hard Furnishings New England, 1725-1750 Cherry, maple, oak, white pine, poplar top; 38" h. x 38 ½" w. x 20 ⅛" d. Drawers nailed with rosehead nails to undersides of linings, now with running strips; second brasses. Both drawers had cotter pins; a patch to bottom drawer front; case rests on bracket feet. Some interior rebuilding, refinished, but a good example (and survivor) of an early 18th century case piece of furniture. Previous Next